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Trump eases sanctions on HTS amid report of Israeli expansion in Syria's Quneitra

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 02 July 2025 8:46 AM

Israel has expanded its grip on the Syrian territory by establishing a new military base in the southwestern Syrian province of Quneitra, a report says.

Israeli forces have established a new military base on Eastern al-Ahmar hill in Syria's Quneitra governorate, adjacent to an earlier base on the same ridge, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported on Tuesday, citing local tribal sources.

Israeli forces are "rapidly working to turn it (base) into a key operational hub," the sources stressed, as the new base is raising fears among residents of a repeat of the destruction in al-Hamidiyah, where on June 17, Israeli troops demolished 16 homes.

Israeli forces are also building a new outpost in the vicinity of Beer Ajam and have increased patrols within Syrian villages such as Abu Madrah farm, with road destruction suggesting efforts to impose new de facto borders, the report added.

The occupation now stretches to areas like Hader and Mount Barbar, while the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) remains largely passive, as the status of 22 detained Syrians remains uncertain, with the world body telling local officials that their release "depends on broader peace negotiations."

The new military escalation coincides with Israeli officials openly tying any normalization of ties between Tel Aviv and Damascus to retain strategic territories, including Mount Hermon.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar emphasized late last month that the occupying entity "will not withdraw from the Syrian [Mount] Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh)."

Tzachi Hanegbi, an advisor to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has already acknowledged Israel-Syria talks.

On June 29, the United States lifted most sanctions on the Arab country, citing alleged reforms under the head of the HTS-led regime in Syria, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, whose administration reportedly agreed to normalize ties with Israel and expel Palestinian factions.

As part of the executive order, the US president also ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review the designation of the HTS leader and Jolani as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."

During a visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May, Trump initially revealed his intention to lift sanctions that had crippled Syria's economy for over a decade and driven more than 90 percent of its population into poverty.

Based on Western media reports last month, the US government's conditions to lift sanctions against Syria included normalizing relations with Israel through signing the Abraham Accords and expelling Palestinian resistance factions from the country.

Washington has imposed sanctions on Syria since 1979 in response to its foreign policy stance against Israel.

The executive order was scheduled to take effect on July 1.

According to Israel's Channel 12, an imminent security agreement between Israel and Syria may include updates to the 1974 disengagement pact, joint intelligence efforts against Iran and Hezbollah's activities in southern Syria, recognition of Shebaa Farms' Syrian identity, and a possible water-sharing arrangement involving Jordan.